Course description

Duration:
This is a Full time one year course, which runs from September to May, 4 days a week.

Overview:
This course is an excellent foundation course for media degrees in: IADT (National Film School), DCU, TU Dublin and other Higher Education Institutes and Universities. Students will be exposed to the radio, film and photography processes and procedures; used by digital media studios today in program making. Students will gain practical knowledge of how different media products are produced, as well as an understanding of how the relationships between producer, financing, and the audience impact on one another.

Students will produce a portfolio of work for assessment which may be used for progression applications to degree programmes elsewhere.

Entry Requirements:
One of the following:

Leaving Certificate (LC Established, LCVP, LCA) or equivalent
A Full Level 4 QQI Award (or equivalent)
For Mature applicants (aged 21 or over) – appropriate experience will be considered in lieu of formal qualifications. Note: Mature applicants may be entitled to VTOS funding. For details about VTOS, please contact the college.

Course Modules:

Film Production
Traditional Black and White Photography
Desktop Publishing
Media Analysis
Radio Programme Production
Scriptwriting
Communications
Work Experience

Certification:
Level 5 QQI Award Media Production (5M18518)

Special Features:

This is a very practical course enabling the student to develop a personal portfolio of work; structured and produced to radio, television and video industry standards. Students will use professional digital cameras, Avid Media Composer (editing software), Adobe Audition, Adobe Illustrator as well as darkroom practice and techniques.

This course is supported by FIT, which offers students the opportunity to acquire essential skills to gain employment. Students are given training in job interview techniques and CV preparation.

Free Full Suit of Adobe Creative Cloud Software for all students on this course for one year to facilitate portfolio and assessment work.

Work Experience:
Students will be required to undertake a period work placement in an organisation connected to their vocational area during the academic year. Work Experience is mandatory for all of our full-time Level 5 courses. Students are required to source their own work placement but will be assisted in this by the work experience teacher. The work placement is usually for a period of 10 days or a minimum of 60 hours. Students usually find the work experience element of the course to be invaluable and should bear in mind that a successful work placement can sometimes lead to further opportunities.

Additional Information:
Leaners will produce a portfolio of materials from their course work in Film, Scriptwriting, Photography, Radio and Desktop Publishing which may be used for application to the IADT and other Higher Education Institutes.

Assessment:

Assessment techniques will be used to assess the knowledge and skills that students will have achieved on successful completion of modules:

Student Record
Portfolio/Collection of Work
Assignments
Examination – Written or Practical
Project
Skills Demonstration

A full major award is granted on passing the relevant eight components. On successful completion of each component, you will be awarded a pass, a merit or a distinction grade. See www.qqi.ie for more details

Progression Opportunities:

DFEi: Graduates may progress to the Level 6 QQI Advanced Certificate in Television and Digital Film or the Sound Engineering/Sound Production Level 6 at DFEi.

Elsewhere: Graduates are eligible to apply through the CAO and/or the Higher Education Links Scheme for entry to year one of a range of higher certificate and degree programmes, at Universities, Institutes of Technology and Technological Universities using their full QQI Level 5 major award. Places are not guaranteed in these Institutes and are subject to students meeting certain criteria. It is the students’ responsibility to consult with the relevant HEI for information on the admissions process and any specific entry requirements. Students may also refer to the individual HEI prospectus or may also refer to the QQI FET section of the CAO website. www.cao.ie

Examples of CAO progression opportunities are listed below.

Progression Examples:

BA Film and Broadcasting (TU983)

BA in Photography (Portfolio) (TU976)

Technological University Dublin (City) – www.tud.ie

BA Film and Television Production (DK864)

BA Creative Media (DK864, DK769)

Dundalk Institute of Technology – www.dkit.ie

BA Creative Digital Media (TU796, TU981)

Technological Institute Dublin (Blanchardstown) – www.tud.ie

BA Media Studies (MH109)

BA Arts (MH101)

BA Psychology (MH106)

Bachelor of Social Science (MH107)

Maynooth University – www.nuimaynooth.ie

BA Film and Screen Media (CK105)

BA Arts (CK101)

BA Government and Political Science (CK122)

University College Cork – www.ucc.ie

BA Arts (GY119)

Galway University – www.nuigalway.ie

BA Media Production and Digital Arts (TU982)

Technological University Dublin (Tallaght) – www.tud.ie

BA Film (DL843)

BA Photography and Visual Media (DL833)

BA New Media Studies (DL837)

BA Television (DL844)

IADT Dún Laoghaire (National Film School) – www.iadt.ie

BSc Multimedia (DC133)

BA Communications (DC131)

Dublin City University – www.dcu.ie

BA Arts (DN520)

BA Humanities (DN530)

BSocSc Social Policy and Sociology (DN750)

BSc Social Sciences (DN700)

BA Psychology (DN700)

University College Dublin – www.ucd.ie

BSc TV and Media Production (CW547, CW578)

Institute of Technology Carlow – www.itcarlow.ie

BA (Hons) TV, Radio and New Media (MT812)

Advanced entry into 2nd Year

Munster Technological University (Tralee Campus) – www.mtu.ie

Career Paths:
Graduates from this course usually opt to advance to further studies, however, others have gained direct employment as floor managers, camera operators, data wranglers, radio broadcasters and production assistants. They may also pursue careers as content creators for website and social media clients.